The LightCycler® 480 Instrument II is a rapid, plate-based, thermal block cycler with integrated real-time, online detection capabilities. Based on a comprehensive improvement of the Peltier-based technology incorporated in a silver block, the instrument provides extraordinary well-to-well temperature homogeneity and maximized inter-well, inter-cycle reproducibility. The special arrangement of optical components in the LightCycler®480 Instrument II ensures the uniform collection of signals across the plate and makes analysis independent of the sample position on the plate. The LightCycler® 480 System setup enables the use of all current probe formats (e.g.,SYBR Green I, ResoLight dye for high-resolution melting, hydrolysis probes, HybProbe probes, SimpleProbe probes) and provides the ideal solution for fast and precise qualitative or quantitative detection of nucleic acids, genotyping, and mutation scanning. Channels and filters can be combined in different ways to allow flexibility in monocolor as well as multiplex assays. The LightCycler®480 Software provides an intuitive, easy-to-navigate user interface for real-time PCR programming, data capture, and data analysis. It facilitates highly versatile and extensive data analysis to study gene expression and genetic variation. The LightCycler® 480 Software enables users to quickly customize the system to meet different application requirements, from basic manual analysis to automated evaluation of data using the software macro feature.